The property world has lost one of its lions. Today brings sad news that Charles Haar, the Louis D. Brandeis Professor of Law, Emeritus at Harvard Law School has died. He was 91.

Professor Haar was instrumental in carving out Land Use as a distinct scholarly field and leaves behind a prodigious list of contributions to the property cannon. Additionally, Haar's accomplishments include drafting many of President Johnson's signal urban policy laws: the Demonstration and Model Cities Act of 1966; the Safe Streets and Crime Control Act of 1968; Title IV of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 (New Communities); and the Section 236 Affordable Housing Guarantee Program.

The final word here goes to Michael Wolf, a collaborator and long-time friend of Professor Haar: "Charles was always proud to have been named Louis D. Brandeis Professor, and I believe that these two legal giants had many characteristics in common, including, but not limited to, their belief that government in the right hands could be used to improve the common good, their understanding that judges played a crucial role in shaping law, and their strong commitment to the state of Israel. He will be missed."

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I am very sorry to hear this, Steve. I recall a story from many years ago that it was Haar and Liebman who first introduced Johnson v. M'Intosh to the property curriculum. One of my favorite of Haar's works -- in addition to the casebook -- is his Golden Age of American Law (1965).